3 Columbiana Co. officers killed on duty to be honored

Three officers from Columbiana County who were killed in action decades ago had their names officially added to a central Ohio memorial Thursday.

Patrolmen Charles Miller and Edward D. Piller from the Salem Police Department and Chief Deputy James F. Elliott from the Columbiana Sheriff’s Office were among several selected for inclusion on the Ohio Fallen Officers’ Memorial Wall, located at a state training academy in London, about half an hour west of Columbus.

Attorney General Mike DeWine and other officials announced the additions during ceremonies Thursday honoring 762 officers who have died in the line of duty since 1823.

According to documents, Miller was killed in 1908 as he and a fellow officer attempted to arrest a member of a gang of burglars. He was shot twice in the chest and died at the scene.

Piller died in 1936 while on duty when his motorcycle malfunctioned and crashed. And Elliott was killed in 1930 after being crushed against a tree by a vehicle he was attempting to stop for a traffic violation.

“Every day, peace officers in Ohio and around the nation shield us and our families from danger,” DeWine said in a statement. “And when, in the course of protecting us, peace officers become casualties, we are made to understand the risks that they and their fellow officers willingly accept as part of their pledge to serve and protect.”